1. Technical Field
Embodiments of this disclosure relate to an optical writing head positioning mechanism that positions an optical writing head that writes an electrostatic latent image on a latent image carrier such as a photoconductor, a process cartridge equipped with the optical writing head positioning mechanism, and an image forming apparatus including the optical writing head positioning mechanism or the process cartridge.
2. Related Art
Some image forming apparatuses employ an optical writing head as an exposure device that forms an electrostatic latent image on a uniformly charged latent image carrier by directing the light of the image onto the latent image carrier (i.e., exposing the latent image carrier to light).
Such an image forming apparatus may further include an optical writing head positioning mechanism including multiple spacers provided between the latent image carrier and the optical writing head to determine the interval between the latent image carrier and the optical writing head.
For example, the image forming apparatuses may include two spacers disposed outside a recording medium, on which an image is to be formed, in a width direction perpendicular to a latent image carrier moving direction and in contact with end portions of the latent image carrier.
In the above-described image forming apparatus, however, positioning accuracy of the optical writing head relative to the latent image carrier may deteriorate over time.
Further, typical configurations for minimizing the deterioration of the positioning accuracy of the optical writing head relative to the latent image carrier make it difficult to reduce the size of the image forming apparatus or the process cartridge.